Adjustable vehicle seat



Ma 3,1932; WKBEHOP I 3 1,857,106

ADJUSTABLE VEHICLE SEAT Filed April 26. 1929 2 sheets-sheet 1 19 I Z 9 25A Z55 Z9 INVENTOR v v Z7 Bel/711w? K. ENS/10,0.

r I ms ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1932 i TITCHENEB conrose m. 1011 sem ND; i931 iqqnrio nqn' t r YORK;

seats; and in: particular "pr ovides fona comfortable seat, of the;:collap sible Qgoach; -type that can readily {be moved; towardv or; away:

from the steering wheeli'tonaocomrnodate drivers possessing individually different statures or leg lengthsezand otherwiseiallows of unfettered manipulationofthe;car pedals.

' Themanipulativefelement for shift-ing-ofimy seat has been placed within; convenient reach I of the seated driver;:thei-seatj back-has also been made reclinable and provisionmade for,

alterably settinga-th'e izerefcted back: in. a; changed inclination iwithfrespecfi to the nor 9,

.mal seat plane. 1-.

In the -.presentembodi tive screw shaft -is rotatahly-r; mounted between a 'pair'ofstanchions fixed toa ivehicle;

floor." .This screwris iequipta=with companion nuts respectively arranged: to cooperatewith complementaryend-sofa sicissordike-le'ver or shifter gear. 1 The opposite; free; "lever; ends 2 are linked toithe :bottom ofthe slidably mounted seat, frame" :and'. supplementary guide means serve: to maintain :Iseat ali I ment.- This constraining-.agenc" prefera 1 y g *iu eg hPkfl-g ewe ro tha iee 51- comprises a'- pair-.riof. slotted-q ankzg-fla'nges 86 through which slots the sciew-sh-aftextends; thedispos'ition of myself-locking linkage ism such that upon manipulation-of ;thescreW-. shaft, both flank 'flangles-z wil'l-abepositively and evenly drawnlen-gthwise'of their respec losing the original seat1isetting i- I The object of my invention 1 to about the shaft axiswasfz a fulcru'mzzwithout g I H =,-1. door--1-1 -of-a coach .bodylQ, which oor serves sitating extensivechang'es in the prevailing in that; 7

hardware. i

'tive slots. This improved.adjustingamechw; nism may be compaetlyrplaced beneath the seat bottom and disposed to-lie.:-wl1'ol1y',rearward of the'screw a-xiswrr.The Finterlockedj lazy-tong linkage holds 'thel' seatin a fixedly? spaced relation from' theiscrewshaftbut still 1 provide for a compact unitaryzlinkage of the char w acter indicated andonecapa'bleof being eco nomically fabricated and applied i'JO COIlVGIl-a tional automobile fronti se'ats :without necess isu tw n ent en iu ther q n s nno s uc u l; fe tur 11 i .WhiQh Willi h ei after-be set forth in detail.

t i u ar' y a appli d muemofi s s f the, coach type, 'i-n;- .which like characters 10f reference indicate like parts, and in which Fi .1; .is a fragmentary ;-.elevational. view 1 as ta en in; longitudinal. section .gthrou gh the b dy. Port no a meb l "s owi igm erected front seat theredfequipt Ewith my'im- P -adjus m chenism-seFigg :2 represents an-jeleyati .of.a coach seat assembly showingjthe seat ent, -.a mampula a Thislinventionrelatestoian adjustabiseat iise efulg e L mechanism adaptedt'opermitof bodily :shi-ft-j ing" andftiltin-g automobile, -ior like Vehicle 1:

one side I view shifted into its. rearniostgposition and' the ---,back tilted into jan zintermediate t position,

while Fig. 3 illustrates the typical manner: in which-this seat may still .be. freely" folded :up and tilted f orwardly into I itsf-fuIIyfeoI lapsedpositiohr 1 I 7 Fig. .4 illustratesaj front elevational view .of my; erected; seat; and indicates the. transverse disposition of the tiltable bac'k and seat Fig. 5 shows fbottorn seat adfi F g; 2, l

F g 7 pr s .vationa'l view" of; my coach seat further.;de'- ftailing the bracket; fulcrum devices as used in connectionwith my tiltable back member. 1

Referring firStjtmFig', this. is' intended to schematically indicate ,certain conventional motoncan-elements that maybe. indirectly. as-

sociated with myzadjustable coach seat, name- 1y a; body. floor- 10', aforwardly dis g (1 side ;.coach. seat equipt with myimprovements; this ia-seattcomprisesa cushionedframe orbase 15 of substantially rectangular shapettothe rear top ed of which may be hin edly attached at 16, t e foldable back 17. T e rear bottom edge of said base is shown provided with one or more depending props such as 18 adapted to frcelyrestuponthe-floor 10.5 1

The present invention is more largelyconcerned with shiftable fulcrum means for the forward portionof said seat base and pro- .,vi des for sheet-metal seat hardware that can 7 such "pair; of spaced'stanchions are e-ach'per- 'fo'ratedjto provide for thebearing and" 'mounted therethrough is anfadjustablefful in'larg'e part be readily fabricated by simple stampingv and forming processes. To this lend, the opposite sides of the base 15 areeach rovided with an upright stanchion 19 havmg an inturnedfoot adapted to, be secured tothe body floor. The upper end portion of crum shaft 21. p a- "aimaiiipulative knob 22' pr eferably placed to one side of the seat" base within convenient reach of the seat 'o'cc'nipant. Said shaft is re-' ff tained in'an axially fixedrelation'to thesupporting stanchions; inter-mediate the shaft ends there may be mounted a tubular sleeve 23-whose'oppositejends are shownas provided with ri ht'andleft'h'an'd thread lengths 23A respectively,"and this sleeve is in-- and 123 f'tendedl toijbe suitably secured to the'shaft. l Respectiviely cooperating --with said spaced threads; are the nuts'24A and 24B held against rotation and adapted to be drawn j towardeach other wh'enever the knob 22 is i turned in one direction andtosepa'rate when "ever said 'knob *is-I turned in a reverse direction. Such relative nut movement is utilized j in moving the seat base fore oraft of the vehi c le and-in'atransverserelation to'the shaft axis, r a

A lazy-ton type of-linkage is preferably resorted-toor operatively connecting the shaft with base this linkage primarily: comprises two similar but oppositelydisposed tong levers 25A and 25B that are pivoted together at 26." The "complementary-forward ends of the tong levers may eachbe forked "-"and ada'ptedto pivotally engage with" the respective shaft nuts'24A and 24B; The opposite ends of said crossed levers are respectivel interconnected by complementary toggle hnks such as 27 which" in turn are made to 'engage with the common-rear pivot point 28 that also servesas an actuated thrust lug.

when shifting the seat base.

- The last named r vet type of pivot may be I "carried'by-anelongatedholder plate designated 'inits entirety as 29.- Said holder is referably but "not necessarily. formed up into complementary angle-sha ed sections of which one leg of each such section is shown as f connected through the rivet pin 28 while the respective outermost holder leg ends arebent 'downto constitute the spaceddepending One overhanging end portionof this transversely disposedshaftinaybeprovidedwith, =tong mec anism thatjprevailswhen t further-most ptos mounted sha flank flanges 30A and 30B. As will be understood, the'cushioned seat base is usually provided with a wooden skeleton frame 31 indicated in dotted outline) beneath which t e holder plate may readily be secured by -l screws such as'32.

It willbe observed that each of the flank flanges are provided with a lon 'tudinal slot 33 associated with the respective seat sides and disposed in a-substantially parallel relation to the bottom of the base 15. v The end portions of the. fixedly mounted fulcrum shaft I 21arerespect1vely entered through their adjacent'flan e 'slots, such that the seat base ma be be 11y shifted. away from or toward sai' shaft in the fashion indicated b dotted outline in Fig.2. The mode by w ich the described linkage accomplishes this purpose is madeapp'arentin Figs. :5 and 6. The first named fi veshowsthe relation of m lazyhe seat baseassumesjits rearmost position with respectto th'e'body floor; at that time proper turning of-the knob22zwill have drawn the 'shaft'nuts 24A and 24B together and make the distance between thepivots 26 and 28 a maximum, thus throwin the seat base in its iti'on relative to a the fixedly 21; -iA' counterwise rotation on part of the knob 22; serves to thrust apart the nuts 24A and 24B alongv their respective threads 23A and'23B, which in turn opens up the end spacing between opposite ends of the crossed tong levers24A and 24B; hence in co- 0 eration with the-complementary links 27, t e plate pivot28-will be forcibly'drawn toward thestationary'stanchi'on 19.

' The described means serve-toibodil shift the erected seat fore or aft of thevehic e even when loaded -.'with the wei ht of the occupant.

the seat base and: is so arranged that'the fulcrum shaft willbe ositively held lengthwise oftherespective ange slots and yet at all times allow theseat base and back to be bodily tilted upwardly about, the adjusted shaft in the fashion indicated in Fig. 3; in this -collapsedxposition', the seat is intended to aflford anunobstructed passageway betweenthe side door 11 and the rear seat com-I partment ofa coach-body, it being under- StOOdathlt two; inde endent and relatively narrow'fron't seats. 0 the kind described are usuallyplaced side-by-side. V

Taming now-to the additional hardware required to allow of both adjustably altering the inclination ofthe erected back 17 and of Said-linkage iswhollyzdisposed underneath These upstandingbrackets are oppositely disposed and respectively provided with a back fulcrum 16. i The back upholstery is usually mounted upon a rectangular wooden framework (shown in dotted outline and The overhanging depending strap end'37A that extends beyondsaid fulcrum, serves as a stop for thetiltable back 17.

Disposed underneath one or strap ends is a laterally yieldable shifting lever 38 of which one end portion is apertured and mounted to swing-around the fulcrum 16 while the other lever end portion may be (pro-, vided with a tipped detent 39 and is ma e to terminate into a finger piece 40. Intermediate the shifting lever ends, there is further carried an overhanging stop lip or abutment means 41 disposed outwardly from the seat and adapted to interlockingly embrace the forward edge of said depending strapcportion 37A. Referring further to the bracket structure, this may be equipt with a series of spaced indentations or notches 42 that are preferably arranged in a radial relation about the pivot 16 and adapted to selectively cooperate with said detent; any one of the notches may be brought into interlocked engagement with the detent 39 by sprin ing the nger piece 40 outwardly and away from its adjacent bracket face and thereuponshifting the lever into another notch position; the lip 41 is thereby moved into a different adjustment with respect to its co-acting stop ele-;

ment 37A.

Assuming the bracket members to be set as shown in Fig. 1, then the reclinable back as fulcrumed between the complementary piv ots 16 will be positively stopped against rearward tilting when the depending strap end 37A abuts the stop lip 41. Whenever the back is tilted forwardly into its collapsed position as shown in Fig. 3, the lever 38 is allowed to remain in adjusted position because thejoint between the abutting stop elements 37A and 41 is designed to break freely. Hence the back may at will be tilted forwardly into collapsed relation with respect to the upholstered base, irrespective of the notch position into which said adjustable lever may have been placed. As will be obvious,,it is not essential that the shiftin applied to both side edges 0 the back although the described balanced arrangement is preferred. I

By virtue of the previously described refinements herein embodied for bodily shift ing the base and seat back, my seat as a whole may be adjusted in various combinations designed to best meet individual preferences on part of different drivers. The length of both (if said.

lever 38 Y be theslot is preferably so disposed asto allow theifcollapsed seat be thrown forwardly 5' about, the ,fu1ci'um shaft withoutfloor ineefarenee; a

is. 1 e ood'that the de cribed.

adjusting mechanism f also jfixids application. to purposes. other than automotive drivers seats, and-that, various changes in structure iand*modegofapplicationa thereof may be" re- =-sortedj to in likewise carrying outmy illus- 'trativejcoach eat embodiment, all without departing from'the spirit andjsco 'e of dryinvention heretofore describedan more "par- .ticularlypointed out'inthe'appended cla ms.

" Claims":

In at veh iuesae adjustenthe'combihation ofa horiiontally shiftable and vertically tiltable base member for the seat, a stationarysupport associated with each forward end region of saidseat base, a manipulative fulcrum shaft rotatably mounted between said supports and which shaft is. provided with complementarythreads, nut means for each shaft thread, a single air of mated scissor like levers of the sel -locking ty e whose adjacenti lever end ortions, are f disposed and operatively connected for actuation from the respective nuts and which scissor-like levers are disposed to lie in a plane alignin'g'substantially with the axis of said fulcrum shaft, link means interconnecting the rearwardly disposed lever ends to said base and'serving in cooperation with said levers to positively and bodily shiftsaid'base relative to the manipulated shaft in a direction'lengthwise of the aforesaid plane, said levers and links being disposed to allow of bodily, tilting the baseabout said fulcrum shaft as an axis'of rotation, and liftable prop means supporting the seat in a ,rearwardly spaced relation to the shaft axis.

'2. In a vehicle seat ad'uster, thecombina-. tion-of a laterally shifta le base member for the seat, a stationary stanchion associated with each seat end region of said base, a manipulative screw shaft rotatably mounted between said stanchions andwhi'ch shaft is provided with spaced complementary threads, nut means cooperating with each shaft thread,mated scissor-like levers of the selflocking type whose adjacent end portions are operatively connected for actuation from the respective nuts, and a slotted guide flange carried by each of'the aforesaid base end regions and having the fulcrum shaftjextending through the respective slotsthereof, the manipulation of said shaft serving to positively shift said'flanges lengthwise of their slots.

3. In a vehicle seat, the combination of a laterally shiftable seat base, a pair of stationary support stanchions respectively associated with the seat end regions, bearing means for each such stanchion, a manipulative fulcrum shaft mounted between said bearings. and which shaft is provided with oppositely disposed screw threads, but means for each. offsaid threads, hql dep'means' se- "cured t0 the base and com rising sps ijce d flank' flanges each having a 5 0t and which sl0ts" arQrsPectiyely adapted t'qslidablyfrceive 'theshaft'therethrou'gh, thrust lug meaps'and I 1 a self-lockinglinkag inchiding 11 psi; of I .citossgd 'levers'havmg complem gzn tary[encl' portions respectively adapted tofbe'pos ltiyely actuated .by said nuts togthel with flitog'gle' link interoofinctingfthe opposite level ends and pivotally engnging with s ajid' lu'g for base, shifting pufposes.

my hand this 23rd day. of April, 1929;

J 4 LL M K..- HQ

In .testimtmy whereof l hai vdherwiitliset' 

